Yard waste in Arlington is on a roll

Wednesday

Sep 3, 2014 at 3:00 AMSep 3, 2014 at 10:31 AM

By Charlotte Milan

Arlington has an exceptional yard waste collection schedule, collecting 34 weeks a year, right at your curb.Last year we placed out 3,488 tons of it! As some of you may know, yard waste is banned by the state to be collected as trash. In order to help residents comply with these laws, we've expanded our collection program and there is no limit as to how much of it you can set out. But, there are some rules.Rule #1: No plastic bags are ever acceptable containers for yard waste. Our yard waste gets composted, and plastic bags contaminate the composting process. Even bags marked “compostable” or “biodegradable” are not accepted, so please beware when you are shopping, as stores still have these products on their shelves. Paper leaf and lawn bags work well, or try repurposing a trash barrel as a yard waste barrel by placing a “YARD TRIMMINGS” bumper sticker on it, available for free at Town Hall at 730 Mass. Ave., the DPW at 51 Grove St. and the Robbins Library at 700 Mass. Ave.Rule #2: No large limbs or roots are accepted. This rule comes to us from the compost facility. Limbs more than 1” thick take too long to decompose. If you have a branch or root ball that you dig up yourself, you can dispose of it through a landscaping company, as these are not allowed in the trash, either.Rule#3: Keep yard waste containers off the sidewalks. Waste containers must be placed out by 7 a.m. on the day of your collection, but are not supposed to sit on your curb all week long. This is unfair to neighbors, and potentially unsafe for public walkways. It is also against town bylaws to place waste of any kind out before 6 p.m. the night before collection. Please be considerate of your neighborhood.Reminder: If your yard waste collection is missed, please call JRM Hauling directly at 1-800-323-4285.Plan ahead for the end of the season. When yard waste season ends, it ends. Thanksgiving weekend falls late this year, on Nov. 27, the same week that yard waste collection ends. After the week of Nov. 24 to Nov. 29, there will be no more curbside service, and residents will have to use private landscaping companies to dispose of yard waste.While yard waste collection runs from April through the last week of November, fall is the busiest time of the year. Please help the town and our contracted hauler, JRM, keep our streets and sidewalks passable during heavy leaf season.Charlotte Milan is the recycling coordinator for Arlington and its Department of Public Works.